


Lover

by speedgriffon



Series: I Shall Taunt You a Second Time | Dragonborn Fiona Fics [14]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Birthday Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:54:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22672882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/speedgriffon/pseuds/speedgriffon
Summary: It's Fiona's birthday, and she would rather spend it alone as she's always done. Brynjolf quickly changes her mind.
Relationships: Brynjolf/Female Dovahkiin | Dragonborn
Series: I Shall Taunt You a Second Time | Dragonborn Fiona Fics [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1143872
Comments: 6
Kudos: 22





	Lover

**Author's Note:**

> I'm doing a t-swift song inspired ficlet challenge of my own design for the month of February for a variety of my OCs/pairings. Enjoy! :)

**_4E 203, 13 Sun’s Dawn_ **

_Today is my birthday…_

For as long as Fiona could remember, she had spent her birthday alone. It was an awkward, melancholy feeling every Sun’s Dawn—instead of feeling excited at another year passing, another year of growing older, all she felt was an overwhelming sense of sadness. Ever since her parents’ death, she had hardly recognized the day other than a special notation in her journal. In the years since their passing, her relatives hadn’t given her the time of day, and when she traveled alone, a birthday was hardly a momentous occasion.

But now that she was in Riften, had been for more than a year now, it was difficult to circumvent the day—practically everybody she knew, at least in the Guild—was aware what that day brought. Even the previous year, when she was still a padfoot, Brynjolf had managed to find a way to tailgate on her trip to Falkreath. Their little escapade had turned out to be a welcome surprise for Fiona, as did their friendship (and eventual relationship), but that didn’t change the fact that even now, a year later, she preferred to reflect on her birthday _alone_.

That year, she would be thirty-one. Considering she hadn’t thought she would make it a day past twenty, she considered herself lucky. Especially when she thought about how many times she had cut it close with bandits, or Daedra—or _dragons_. As she scribbled the same line marks as she did every year in her journal to keep track of the time gone by, she idly wondered why the home seemed so quiet. Not that she cared so deeply—it _was_ what she wanted, right? But for Brynjolf to be missing so early in the morning seemed awfully suspicious.

Plus, he positively knew it was her birthday. At least, she hoped he remembered. It wasn’t like him to suddenly forget such a fact, even if he had been knocked over the head a few too many times by wildlife and rogue thieves. Or had drunk himself into an amnesiac stupor on more than one occasion. Finally, the quiet began to pester her far too much and she stood from her desk, pacing about the foyer as if it would calm her nerves.

It didn’t.

Instead, Fiona crumpled her fingers into the fabric of her skirts, regretting that she didn’t take the opportunity to assign herself a few jobs far away from the city that week. She was the Guildmaster after all! If she didn’t want to be there, she didn’t have to be! As she was walking back towards the fireplace, a piece of parchment caught her eye. Perplexed, she rushed over to snatch it up, quickly glancing over the short but scribbled message in all to familiar handwriting.

_Lover,_

_Ragged Flaggon at Dusk_

_-Your Tafiir_

Oh, so Brynjolf was _definitely_ up to something after all, Fiona only needed to figure out what. Her heart immediately began pounding in her chest, echoing in her ears. Last time, only a few months ago, he had gone through such an effort on a romantic gesture for one type of goal in mind. A mix of emotions and trepidation started to bubble in Fiona’s gut as she whisked herself out the door, almost forgetting to slip on her shoes before she went.

It didn’t take her very long to make her way to the graveyard entrance, lingering outside the mausoleum long enough to steady her nerves. Was Brynjolf really that foolish to propose again so soon? On her birthday? What was she kidding, asking herself that? _Of course_ he was. Brynjolf would ask her every single day if he had the opportunity, but he knew it was likely she’d ship him off to Solstheim if that was the case.

Maybe Fiona was worried over nothing—perhaps he had simply baked her a cake to share with the Guild. She could live with that. But as she made her way into the Cistern proper, she was faced with what appeared to be almost every member of the organization, lingering about as if they had been waiting her arrival. She stood there, blinking, just watching her thieves until she noted a familiar face—Delvin, silently motioning towards the Ragged Flaggon door.

Well, it was now or never.

Fiona’s breath escaped her in one fell gasp the moment she crossed the threshold of the Flaggon. Her eyes dazzled as she took in the sight of the strung up lanterns that circled the large tavern, which she noted had been completely cleared out save for the man who was obviously behind this plan—Brynjolf.

She advanced, taking in more of the atmosphere he had crafted. On every table he had scattered yellow flower petals, and on the table closest to him there was a cluster of rare pearls atop a bundle of wrapped parchment—a present.

“Brynjolf?” she questioned in a hesitant tone, hand reaching out to brush across the gift as she eyed him. As if he could sense her skepticism, he stepped forward, instantly grasping both her hands.

“Now don’t worry that head of yours, lass. I’m not asking for your hand again,” he assured with a grin, squeezing her fingers. Fiona sighed, somewhat relieved. “ _This_ time.”

He tilted his head a little closer toward her. “That is, unless you’re prepared to say yes.”

She laughed, despite all the anxiety she had felt up until that moment. “You were saying?”

Brynjolf breathed a smile, tucking their clasped hands to his chest as he brought her closer. “I know it’s your birthday,” he said with the slightest hint of nervousness. “I know you’d rather be alone. I was hoping I could change your mind.”

Fiona gazed up at his hopeful expression and already she could feel her heart soaring. Brynjolf didn’t always ask for much but he truly was a hopeless romantic. In all the bad deals she had been dealt in life, she had lucked out in meeting him. She suddenly felt very foolish for ever wanting to spend the day locked away in Honeyside when she had this man with his whole heart to give to her, just waiting to show what good there was in life.

“What do you have in mind?” she asked in reply.

He gently started to sway them, moving one hand so it slid around the small of her back, bringing her even closer. Fiona took the opportunity to hook her free arm around his shoulder, busying her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. It was strange to dance to no music, but they did so at their own pace, slowly, just softly smiling as they gazed into one another’s eyes. Somewhere, in the back of her mind she thought that if he dared to ask her right then, she might’ve said _yes_.

“Bryn?”

“Aye?”

She tilted her chin up, pausing in their movements so she could kiss him, grinning when she felt him smiling against her lips. He embraced her tighter, kissed her a little harder until she was breaking away for an inhale of air, giggling about how absolutely in-love she was. Brynjolf placed a softer kiss to the bridge of her nose and another to her forehead before hovering across her lips once more.

“What can I do for the birthday queen?” he asked. Fiona rather liked the sound of that, though she only wanted one thing, and that was to be with her _king_.

“Take me home,” she smiled against his lips. “ _Lover_.”

**Author's Note:**

> say hello over on tumblr @ eeveevie  
> kudos and comments are always appreciated :)


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